Who Is Nashville Covenant School Shooter Audrey Hale? Suspect Info Released

Nashville, Tennessee, police said Monday that a suspected shooter at a private Christian elementary school was a 28-year-old woman, who was later identified as Audrey Hale.

The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) confirmed that at least six victims were killed in the shooting. Three were identified as children, while the others were adults.

"When officers got to the second level, they saw a shooter, a female, who was firing. The officers engaged her. She was fatally shot by responding police officers," an MNPD official said during a press conference.

"We know at this point that this shooter is a female. She appears to be in her teens, although her identification has not been confirmed at this juncture. We know that she was armed with at least two assault-type rifles and a handgun," the official said.

In an update Monday afternoon, the MNPD said the shooter "has now been identified as a 28-year-old Nashville woman." Police later found a manifesto and surveillance maps indicating entry points into the school at Hale's home.

During another press conference later on Monday, MNPD Chief John Drake said, "From my initial findings...at one point she was a student at that school, but unsure what year, all of that. But that's what I've been told so far." He added that the suspect was white.

A LinkedIn profile for Hale says the 28-year-old worked as a grocery shopper with Shipt. A company spokesperson confirmed Hale was an independent contractor and told Newsweek, "We are shocked and horrified by the school shooting in Nashville, and our hearts go out to all who have been impacted by this devastating tragedy.

"This type of violence goes against everything we stand for at Shipt, and we are saddened to learn about the involvement of someone who worked on our platform. Our team is committed to cooperating with law enforcement to support their investigation," the spokesperson said.

At noon Monday, the MNPD tweeted: "An active shooter event has taken place at Covenant School, Covenant Presbyterian Church, on Burton Hills Dr. The shooter was engaged by MNPD and is dead. Student reunification with parents is at Woodmont Baptist Church, 2100 Woodmont Blvd."

The Nashville Fire Department said on Twitter that there were "multiple patients" following the shooting.

"We are responding to an active aggressor at 33 Burton Hills Blvd Covenant School. We can confirm we have multiple patients. Parents coming to the school should go to 20 Burton Hills at this time. This is an active scene," the fire department tweeted.

Newsweek has reached out to the MNPD and the Nashville Fire Department for comment via email.

The three children were pronounced dead at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, according to The New York Times.

A spokesperson for the hospital told Newsweek that "we can now confirm three children and two adults from the Covenant School shooting were transported to our Adult Emergency Department (two adults) and (three children) to the Pediatric Emergency Department at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital. All five patients have been pronounced dead."

At least eight individuals have been killed in school shooting incidents in 2023, according to data from Everytown Research and Policy.

In a tweet on Monday, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee said that he was "closely monitoring the tragic situation at Covenant."

"As we continue to respond, please join us in praying for the school, congregation & Nashville community," Lee said.

Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn also responded to the shooting on Twitter. She said, "Chuck & I are heartbroken to hear about the shooting at Covenant School in Nashville.

"My office is in contact with federal, state, & local officials, & we stand ready to assist. Thank you to the first responders working on site. Please join us in prayer for those affected," Blackburn wrote.

Update, 3/27/23, 3:20 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information about the suspected shooter.

Update, 3/27/23, 5:28 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with the suspected shooter's name and additional information about Audrey Hale.

Update, 3/28/23, 12:07 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to include a statement from a Shipt spokesperson.

Update, 3/28/23, 3:36 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to clarify Hale was an independent contractor with Shipt.